January Worship in Chicago

I have been in Chicago for the month of January, attending convocation and taking three intensive classes at Meadville Lombard Theological School. It has been a full month in many ways! Classes that are simultaneously draining and invigorating, being with friends and colleagues, weekly Vespers at First Unitarian Church in Hyde Park, daily worship opportunities. To fulfill an assignment, I even visited Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago one afternoon:

And, as if I hadn't got enough, how did I spend my weekends? Just like last January, I went on religious field trips, worshiping with and observing four synagogues and eight churches:

SYNAGOGUES
Chicago Sinai Congregation (Reform Jewish, old-style)
Congregation Or Chadash (Reform Jewish, LGBT congregation)
Central Synagogue of Chicago (Conservative Jewish)
Chicago Loop Synagogue (Traditional, non-denominational Jewish)

ORTHODOX/CATHOLIC CHURCHES
Christ the Savior Church (Orthodox Church in America)
Church of the Ascension (Episcopal, anglo-catholic high church)
Assumption Catholic Church (Roman Catholic)
St. John Cantius Church (Roman Catholic, liturgical apostolate)

PROTESTANT CHURCHES
Grace Episcopal Church (Episcopal, low church)
Fourth Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church USA, jazz service)
Urban Village Church (United Methodist, “Reconciling Congregation”)
LaSalle Street Church (Non-denominational, moderate Evangelical)

The following is a compilation of notes I wrote immediately after returning from each of these experiences, only slightly modified or amplified:

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Friday, January 7, evening
Just returned from Shabbat Eve service at Chicago Sinai Congregation (Reform). The service followed the Union Prayerbook Sinai Edition, music sung by a robed quartet, accompanied by organ. Rabbi David Levinsky preached on "The Fluidity of Religious Life in America."

The quartet sang all the parts in Hebrew, the rabbi and the congregation reading in English. The Mourners' Kaddish was read/ recited unison in Aramaic.

Very nice service in a fine modern octagonal sanctuary. The sermon took a good liberal approach to the individual construction of religious identity as people move within and between movements in Judaism and between Judaism and other religions. He noted that people fluidly move to find a religious experience that fills their need and that, just as the rabbis created the Pesach Seder as it has been known through the ages to adapt to the reality of the destruction of the temple, changing with the material and cultural reality of the times, so Judaism today has to adjust to the fact of fluidity - in part by providing Jews with the good religious experience they are looking for. Nicely delivered.

The one thing though that was lacking, other than the person handing out the siddur at the sanctuary door who told me which page to begin on, no one greeted me.

Chicago Sinai Congregation

15 West Delaware Place, Chicago

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Saturday, January 8, afternoon
Just back from Great Vespers at Christ the Savior Church (Orthodox Church in America). Wonderful small choir. Some of the chanting was so fast that I could only make out every fifth sentence, and I certainly didn't know the kinesic norms. But everything was in English and in the sung parts, intelligible. Beautiful, mystic space... Low light and candles and icons. The icon screen was perfect for the space, beautiful but not overwrought. No pews in traditional Orthodox style. Seating for those who need it only around the periphery.

Small attendance: choir of 5 led by perhaps a deacon (I don't know how to read Orthodox vestments); a priest and two very young altar servers; one older priest who did not participate in the liturgy; myself, and four attendees. But the priest announced at the end that today the parish had gained three new catechumens.

It was a lovely space and, though I didn't know what to do, a nice service. Again here, no one greeted me. It was unmistakable that I was a newcomer, and there was no rush out the door, yet no one acknowledged my presence. One wonders how they gained the new catechumens. But then, attendance was miniscule. More in the choir than in the congregation.

It was just that juxtaposition - they have three newbies yet they don't greet the stranger... so how does that work?

No, mainly I think of greeting as simple human activity - acknowledging the other's existence and presence. It is more basic than hospitality. And on another level, you'd think someone among them would be curious why the outsider was making incursions into their space.I guess I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a nod and a smile at five paces if a "Hello" and a handshake are too extreme. I mean literal greeting not conversation.

On Michigan Avenue on the way home after Great Vespers, temperature in the teens, wind whipping fiercely, homeless people wrapped in layered sweaters and blankets, evidently coatless, up against the buildings... In front of me, three college aged people - an Asian-American man, an African-American woman, and a European-American man (probably gay), the young people, ignoring the homeless people, are talking. One says without any vocal cues signaling irony: "If I can get a job that pays a quarter million per year, I'll be able to manage."

Christ the Savior Orthodox Church

927 N. LaSalle Drive, Chicago

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Sunday January 9, morning
Bundled up and out the door before sunrise in 5F degree weather to walk the 1 3/4 mi. to Grace Episcopal Church for its 8:00AM service labeled on its website as "Quiet Communion" (read, not sung, Morning Prayer and Eucharist). The liturgy this morning deviated from the Book of Common Prayer to change masculine language referring to God to feminine.

The church is on Printer's Row in a reworked warehouse loft space. Beautiful use of exposed brick and wooden beams.

The service was quiet, as advertised, with 12 present including the rector and deacon. Intimate. Gathered in a semicircle around the altar for the Eucharist.

The rector invited me to go to breakfast at a nearby bar with the group. We talked about our stories and a bit of theology in a group of seven. Very open and pleasant people.

I went back for the 10:00 "Communion with Music" service, which had about 40 in attendance, including families with small children. Piano accompaniment. The first hymn was Bring Many Names, which was the hymn that opened UU hymnody to me when I came to UUism. Moving service and a thoughtful sermon that focused on the importance of how we choose our words in politics, relationships, and religion.

Over coffee hour had a good conversation with one of the library staff at Meadville Lombard, who is a member of Grace Episcopal. Then open discussion for those who were interested about the service's focus on feminine metaphors for the divine used in the service. The rector introduced me as a seminarian at Meadvile Lombard and asked me specifically to add my take on it.

Wonderful experience in every respect!!

Grace Episcopal Church

637 South Dearborn Street, Chicago

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Saturday, January 15, morning
This morning I went to services at Central Synagogue of Chicago, a traditional, egalitarian, Conservative synagogue, that meets in a suite in the professional plaza of Water Tower Place. Their website said that introductory prayers led by a congregant began at 9:10, with the Shacharit service led by a hazzan (cantor) beginning at 9:40, so I arrived at 9:00.

The introductory prayers began with me the only one present in the congregation. That felt a little strange and I thought that maybe this wouldn't be the experience I was expecting. After a while, a second person arrived. By near the end of... the introductory prayers, there were a total of eight present, including me. They needed two more to make a minyan, since this small congregation counts its Torah scrolls as a person for calculating the minyan, the quorum that must be present to say the Mourner's Kaddish and some other parts of the service, as well as the number of adult Jews who must be present to read from the Torah scrolls. So we waited.

Counting the Torah scrolls as a person was an interesting detail. When they told me I saw a hint of a smile. Then one added, "We only cheat a little bit." It seemed likely to me, given the size of the congregation, that this interpretation came into play as a very practical one. If you can't make a minyan, you can't say Kaddish for your loved ones on their Yahrzeit. So slightly fudging it on one count allows you to fulfill another mitzvah. But they made clear to me that they weren't being too lax in their application: they have four Torah scrolls, but they only count the Torah as One toward the minyan.

In the half hour of hopeful waiting, the lay leader of the introductory prayers and a young man sitting near me talked with me. This congregation had once been a large congregation, and then the members moved to the suburbs. Current membership is around 40, and they have committed to maintaining a presence downtown, in part so that businessmen visiting from out of town will have a Conservative option for synagogue worship downtown. There are a couple of families with children, not present today, with whom the hazzan will work to prepare the children for their bar mitzvah...

The hazzan and her husband were sick and could not make it, and no one else arrived, so the lay leader started the service with the adjustments for the absence of a minyan. All prayers were chanted in Hebrew (other than a prayer for our nation). But Sim Shalom, the siddur (prayerbook), had translations on the facing page. The parasha (the day's Torah portion) and the haftorah (the service's apointed reading from the non-Torah portion of the Hebrew scriptures) were chanted from the Chumash (a book rather than scroll of the Torah and the haftorah portions, with parallel translation and commentary). The Torah portion for today were Exodus's account of the delivery from slavery in Egypt and the sending of manna and quail. The Haftorah portion was Judges' account of Jael and Sisera and the "Song of Deborah."

The president of the congregation did an impromptu talk on the grumbling and lack of faith of the Children of Israel, accepting questions and comments from the congregation.

After the service, I was invited to stay for lunch with the congregation. The person who issued the invitation apologized for the failure to make a minyan and said he hoped I hadn't come to say Kaddish, since that cannot be done without a minyan. I thanked him and told him I am not Jewish.

Blessings over wine and challah. Then a spread laid out by one of the members. Wonderful conversation over lunch. A very nice experience despite my earlier misgivings and the absence of a minyan.

Water Tower Place
845 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago

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Sunday, January 16, morning
What a wonderful January day! I just walked the 2 miles back from church, the air calm and crisp and filled with lightly falling big white flakes! Beautiful! I went to the Church of the Ascension (Episcopal), the flagship Anglo-Catholic church in the Midwest. The service was a Solemn High Mass with all the smells and bells you could ever ask for!

The organ and the choir were fabulous! In a loft at the back, not on display as performers. The men of the choir also did Gregorian chant in Latin. And the congregation, joining the choir for hymns and some chants, sang with full voice, fully familiar with the territory.

This was the most formal service I had ever attended. Very majestic! Full formal vestments. Procession. Ultra-liberal use of incense! A whole lot of time on one's knees and on one's feet and not much sitting. And a lacy arched rood screen between the altar and the congregation. For communion the congregants knelt at the altar rail behind the rood screen. And the altar was oriented for the priest to have his back to the congregation, that is, to face the same direction as them in the performance of the sacrifice of the mass.

The sermon was very tightly based on the Gospel reading and was illustrated by reference to the priest's experience as a chaplain in a hospital psych ward.

A lay person read the Old Testament Lesson in regular scripture reading voice; a subdeacon chanted the Epistle in a monotone chant; and a deacon chanted the Holy Gospel in a slightly more complex chant.

The hymns were "The sinless one to Jordan came," "Round the Lord in glory seated," "Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life," and "Songs of thankfulness and praise, Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise."

Chants that the congregation joined in were "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," the Nicene Creed, the Our Father, as well as some short responses. The men's choir chanted in Latin "Omnis Terra," "Misit Dominus," "Laudate Deum," "Jubilate Deo Universa Terra," and "Laetabimur."

The mixed choir sang in English a "Kyrie Elieson" and "Sanctus and Benedictus" by Charles Wood, "Jubilate Deo" by Benjamin Britten, and "Beati Quorum Via" by Charles Villiers Stanford.

The organ prelude was "Il Pastorale" from Alexandre Guilmant's Sonata in D Minor. The magnificent postlude, GP da Palestrina's "Ricercari on the Fifth and Sixth Tones." Wow! Zip Zam Zowie! Just the thing for an organ lover.

The congregation was a thorough mix of adult ages, with some people dressed in very formal church clothes, but others were in Jeans and sneakers. It didn't seem to matter. Directly behind me were a young gay couple who were confident being open about who they are.

There was a coffee hour afterward, but the organ music said go forth! to me. So I went forth into the beautiful snow, walking the last leg of my 2 mile walk back along the Chicago river. Amazing! Beautiful!

I really don't know how everything fit into an hour-and-a-half service. But it did. And once home I made myself a lunch of lobster-cheese ravioli with zucchini. Now for a nice black New Orleans-style chicory coffee.

It's a beautiful day in the city!

Church of the Ascension
1133 N. LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago

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Sunday, January 16, afternoon
At 3:45PM as I walked up in front of Fourth Presbyterian, a block north of Water Tower Place, the bells were ringing in the bell towers of this imposing neo-gothic edifice. I stepped inside and found a seat for Fourth at Four, aka Jazz at Four, aka Jazz Service with Communion. The bells continued ringing for five minutes. I'd attended Jazz Vespers at General Assembly 2 1/2 years ago in Salt Lake City...

Otherwise I had not experienced a fusion of jazz and worship. The integration was, I think, more successful here. The music was great. And the two hymns, the doxology, and the sanctus were not only also rendered in jazz, but also in a jazz that the congregation could actually sing with!

The sermon was preached by Associate Pastor Adam H. Fronczek, a quite young minister in appearance. He is a quite good preacher, and preached extemporaneously without notes from the floor of the nave rather than from a pulpit or lectern. His text was three brief episodes from Mark 1-3. It was interesting to hear him unambiguously point out that, though Jesus often had disputes with the Pharasees, the Law that the Pharasees promoted was not some antithesis to God's Grace, as Christians through the ages have often believed. Rather, he said, the law was a good thing. It was the undergirding of the society of a people in covenant with God. Jesus wasn't against the Law even when he make ethical challenges to certain interpretations of it. This young pastor not only learned something in seminary, he's preaching it in a downtown church!

The printed 12-page order of service/ bulletin included a welcome statement that, though not spoken aloud, was an important presence in this service. It reads: "Inspired by the radical hospitality of Jesus Christ, Fourth Presbyterian Church welcomes all of God's children into the life of the church regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical limitation, educational background, or economic situation." It is a church that also makes explicit that its opens doors every day of the week welcome the homeless to enter and get warm. They operate a soup kitchen at least one day of every week year round. Welcome and service are important to them.

The bulletin also notes that their services use gender neutral language for the Divine. They also announce that they practice open communion. All are welcome to receive with only their own heart to judge.

The Prayer of Confession, said in unison at this service, went like this:

"Gracious God, we confess that we have not been the people you want us to be. We are deceptive and dishonest, shortsighted and mean. We have been impatient with out loved ones and we have not tried hard enough to understand those who are different from us. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to grow into our better selves. Help us to act with charity and compassion; help us to love our neighbors and reach out to strangers. Help us to forgive ourselves and forgive others as you have forgiven us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

I might change two words. But in its setting at Fourth Presbyterian this afternoon, it was perfect.

Out into the dark chill of evening to walk the mile back and then fix myself a meal of Italian Wedding Soup. Mmmm.

Fourth Presbyterian Church
126 E. Chestnut Street, Chicago

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Friday, January 21, evening
This evening I attended Erev Shabbat services with Congregation Or Chadash, Chicagoland's only LGBT synagogue (Reform). I chose the right week to attend there, as they celebrated yesterday's "New Year of Trees" with a Tu B'shvat seder after the service and kiddush.

I took the Red Line north about 25 minutes and then walked two blocks to the building of Emanuel Congregation, also a Reform congregation, where Or Chadash rents a chapel. I settled in and the service began about seven or eight minutes after the posted time. The space was like a round stone silo, seating most of the way around the outside wall, with pews in the center. It was an intimate space, and people clearly knew each other.

There was no accompaniment and no choir leading the music. Rather, the rabbi led the congregation in chanting/ singing most of the liturgy in Hebrew from the congregation's own loose-bound siddur, Prayers of Our Heart: Tefilot ba-Leyv, which has Hebrew, transliteration into roman letters, and translation into English. I knew some of the tunes and was able to sing along with the Hebrew transliterations, but with only the words and not the music, there were some of the liturgy I couldn't sing with.

With the focus on Tu B'Shvat, one lay leader read several poems and other readings through the service that related to this holiday, the day in the society of ancient Israel, when the productive trees were taxed, which doesn't sound so spiritual. And then the early Zionist settlers of what became modern Israel adopted the holiday as a sort of Jewish Arbor Day, planting trees as part of their effort to green the desert. But in the middle there were Kabbalists in Safed who gave a mystical, spiritual interpretation to the New Year of Trees. It is this medieval mystic approach that inspires many contemporary American Jewish communities to some degree.

After the service and after the blessing of the wine and the challah, the congregation gathered around tables for the Tu B'Shvat seder. This included a recognition of the "seven species" known to have been productive in ancient Israel and then turned to the kinds of fruits that are specifically celebrated in this ceremonial meal: fruits (including nuts) that have a hard or inedible shell and an edible interior; fruits that have a soft skin and flesh around a hard pit; and fruits that are completely edible. Each table had plates of each of these categories and, as the seder was read, each fruit group was blessed then passed around to be eaten. There were also little songs that went with each of the groups.

The three types of fruits correspond to the lower three of the four Kabbalistic worlds of creation. No fruit is eaten to correspond to the hightest of the worlds, because it is the realm of pure spirit where one is sustained by the presence of God. The Tu B'shvat seder, the liturgy claims, is the one ceremonial meal of the Jewish year that requires no death of a living thing. Not even the yanking of a radish root from the ground. "The Tu B'shvat seder is the meal of Gan Eden, the garden of delight."

Around the table where I was sitting, a couple of people commented on the shamanic origins of the linking of the four worlds, the three fruit types plus spiritual sustenance, to the four directions, the four elements, and so on. There was no disagreement here. People here know of the interconnectedness of their traditions with other and older traditions. They also told me that for a couple of decades in their early existence, their congregation was hosted by Second Unitarian Church in Chicago's Lakeview area.

Friendly people, great conversation, and afterward, in order to continue conversation, one member gave me a ride to the front door of my building! Wonderful visit!

Emanuel Congregation
5959 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago

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Sunday, January 23, morning
Theodicy 101 - or "if there is a good God, why does bad stuff happen?" - was the theme of the service this morning at Urban Village Church, a new congregation affiliated with the United Methodists that meets Sunday mornings in the Feinberg Theatre of the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies on Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park in Chicago.

Urban Village started meeting weekly on Palm Sunday 2010. It is a Reconciling (LGBTQ-affirming) Congregation. The bulletin cover reads: "whoever you are - believer or doubter, gay or straight, Republican or Democrat - you are welcome here."... Looking around the theatre space, I saw mostly young adults, but some middle-aged people, at least one retiree, overwhelmingly white but some Asian Americans and African Americans, some people sitting alone, others with a friend or partner, some fairly obviously LGBTQ, others not. No pronouns were used to refer to God, and no masculine analogies such as "Father" or "Lord" were used either (except in the recitation of the Lord's Prayer), thereby intentionally avoiding gendering of the Divine.

Worship was led by a band of four musicians and three singers in a contemporary/praise style, congregation standing, lyrics projected on a screen. Early in the service, during the Passing of the Peace, the different ways people did this, from saying words such as "Peace be with you" to "The Peace of Christ" to an ordinary greeting like "Good morning" reflects the fact that this congregation is made up of people with all manner of religious or unchurched backgrounds. Indeed, the church website does not emphasize the denominational affiliation but the open, inclusive nature of a congregation grappling with issues relevant to the people.

Co-Pastor Trey Hall preached, gently easing into questions of how bad things happen, gently pulling apart the common answers that "everything happens for a reason" or "it's God's punishment" or "God's trying to teach us a lesson" etc. In easily accessible language, he concluded that the self-punishing assumptions that lead to such explanations are explicitly contrary to the teaching of Jesus in Luke 13. Free will and natural processes include results that hurt, but God is with us as we live the experience. His sermon concluded with an extended illustration from an experience he had on a gay cruise. He told it with a lot of humor in the beginning and wound up at a place that brought tears to my eyes. All preached extemporaneously, without pulpit, notes on a stand to the side and only referred to once. Beautiful sermon that was designed to meet people with a variety of backgrounds and understandings where they are.

I had the wonderful opportunity to have depth conversations with Trey, as well as with intern Emily Jones and Pastor of Discipleship Anne Williamson. This congregation appears to be everything it presents itself as. Amazingly, for a startup in its first year, it has two co-pastors plus the pastor of discipleship and three interns who are seminarians from U of Chicago Divinity School, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Chicago Theological Seminary. They received a grant from the denomination to support them for three years, after which they will need to be on their own two feet. Their offerings from members are growing, along with membership. And they have some churches and individuals from other churches who are also providing support. Otherwise they would not at this stage of their development be able to present as a full service congregation.

On a couple of bulletin boards at the door into the theatre space were lots and lots of signup sheets - for small groups, dinner parties, social action, discussion and interest groups, and so on. In addition to Sunday morning services downtown, there are Sunday evening services at a Wicker Park location. It is their plan to grow into having services regularly also at other times and locations through the city.

A very nice contemporary service and welcome.

On the walk back to the apartment, I came upon a Shiite Muslim group marching, an annual event commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet. Young women in black hijab were handing out fliers and answering questions about what the event was all about. The woman I spoke to told me that in this commemoration they want to stress the values they share with the rest of America, of freedom and justice. A very pleasant group, marching to the sounds of chanting up Michigan Avenue...

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
610 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago

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Sunday, January 23, evening
The Church of the Assumption (Roman Catholic) is one of the old churches of the city, built in 1886 for the first Chicago parish formed to minister to Italian immigrants. The exterior of the church is an unremarkable box with a weak facade, but the interior is well decorated with statues, frescoes, bas relief Stations of the Cross, and stained glass in a manner influenced by the original ethnic congregation.

Mass was sparsely attended - I would guess because of a combination of the weather and the game between the Bears and the Packers, which it seems people here are crazy about. I have no idea what a normal Sunday evening crowd looks like here....

The music was dominated by a well-played pipe organ, and the cantor, an older gentleman, had a very good voice. The homily was based on the Gospel reading about the calling of James and John and focused on questions of what it means to be called and how we can know what our call is.

By-the-book mass with no surprises. The priest shook hands with everyone as they left, clearly knowing most and asking them about things going on in their families, and parishioners smiled and greeted me briefly.

Assumption Catholic Church

323 West Illinois Street, Chicago

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Saturday, January 29, morning
This morning I went to Shachris (morning prayer service) at the Chicago Loop Synagogue, a Jewish congregation unaffiliated with any denomination but following the older traditions of worship. Soon after I arrived, Jerry, an elderly gentleman, a retired engineer and lawyer, introduced himself and took me under his wing, explaining the service to me as it proceeded, never assuming I knew anything. What a mensch!

On first entering the synagogue, I was greeted by a late-middle-aged African American security guard, who asked me if I had been there before, showed me the cloakroom, asked me if I had brought my own tallis and yarmulke, I told him that since I'm not Jewish I only needed a yarmulke. We chatted a few moments. He told about one time when the late afternoon service was waiting for a minyan, the quorum of 10 adult Jewish men required for some prayers and reading from the Torah. They waited and waited and were only missing one. The security guard said he told the rabbi, "I can join you to make a minyan. I worship the God of Abraham and Isaac, the God of Moses as you do." He said the rabbi smiled and replied, "You can't make the minyan. I'd have to cut you first." The security guard chuckled at the memory.

The congregation has about 800 members, but I was told it serves as a second synagogue for most of them. This synagogue, located as it is downtown, serves religious Jews who work downtown. They commute in from the suburbs and pray the thrice daily weekday prayers here, Shachris in the morning before heading to work. The downtown population that also comes on Shabbat is the smaller portion of the congregation, with suburban members typically attending a synagogue closer to their homes on Saturday. This service was attended by 14 men, 5 women, and three children. Among the men, a Mexican Jew who is in Chicago while his baby granddaughter is in the hospital here for a surgery following on complications from meningitis.

The synagogue sanctuary is beautiful. Modern and ancient all at the same time without that reality presenting as a clash. The wall behind the Ark of the Torah is a dramatic stained glass window facing the sunlight on Clark Street, when the sun is out. Even on a cloudy day like today, the window is dramatic.

The service felt simultaneous familiar and strange. And the strange part manifested in two main ways, one that felt very good to me, one that was uncomfortable. In this synagogue, the women sit separated from the men in a balcony. They are not hidden behind a mechitza, a screen or curtain, but they are not able to participate in the same way as men. This is ancient tradition, but it feels uncomfortable in the early 21st century in a land where women are legally and morally and to a growing degree socially not separated from or treated differently from men.

But as if to balance that awkward reality, I was surprised at the collegiality of the men and the way the service incorporates several men gathered on the bimah around the Torah for the Torah reading. Some reading, others, not qualified linguistically to read the Torah, chant blessings on the torah portions

The Torah portion for today was a reading of civil laws of ancient Israel, as presented in Exodus. Most of it seemed, well, like a law book. A really dated law book. But there were tidbits of it that seemed to me, as I read along in English in the Chumash, to translate fairly well into contemporary life. Like the command not to curse the leaders of the people. (Hear that, Glenn Beck? Hear that, Rush Limbaugh? Or anyone else who takes rhetoric of criticism too far...)

The Rabbi's sermon focused on the verse from the Torah reading that he said has given antisemites some of their greatest ammunition against Jews - a verse about making reparations when your ox gores a neighbor's ox. Among the Talmudic interpretations is the idea that one only need make such restitution to fellow Jews. The Rabbi referred to the interpretation, instead, of Maimonides. He affirmed the meaning that one is bound to deal justly and fairly with all people. The exclusiveness of this verse simply means that one is bound to go farther in dealing with one's own family than is required by the demands of simple justice and equality. You may charge interest when you make a loan to just anyone. But if you lend to family, you deal from an increased loyalty and support and do not charge interest. Justice for all. Doing more for family. A good sermon, well presented, and challenging the congregation through examples of famous, important Jews who have gone too far the other way, choosing to be harsher on fellow Jews than on the larger population.

After the service I was invited to join the congregation for kiddush and lunch. I was made very welcome and enjoyed the conversation greatly. After nearly an hour at table, I took leave of my hosts, thanking Jerry for being my "guide," shaking hands and wishing them Good Shabbes. They responded in kind and asked me back whenever I'm in Chicago. On the way out, I shook hands with the security guard, wishing him a good day. He smiled and also asked me to come back.

Chicago Loop Synagogue
16 South Clark Street, Chicago

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Saturday, January 29, evening
What a wonderful evening! My friend Mark and I started the evening attending a truly amazing performance of sacred music by the Nordic Choir of Luther College at Fourth Presbyterian, Chicago. Cajun dinner. After dinner drinks. Then a couple of miles walk, including a dramatic night time walk around "The Bean" in Millennium Park.

Luther College is a Norwegian Lutheran college associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, a small town in the far northeast of that state. The school has 2500 students, of whom, 1,000 are involved in the schools many musical groups. The ethnic heritage of the school was clearly reflected in the appearance of the choir, with a super majority of the singers being blonds. Not a single person of color. It seems the school must shelter its students from the realities of multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multicultural America. I wonder how these very talented young adults will fare when they take jobs in that larger reality that is not represented in the choir.

About a third of the audience were Luther College alumni or parents of Luther students. Conducted by the elegant Allen Hightower, the choir's program consisted of:

"Hosanna to the Son of David" by Orlando Gibbons
"O Sacrum Convivium" by Thomas Tallis
"Caritas et Amor" by Z. Randall Stroop
"Our Father" by Alexandre Gretchaninoff
"Lass dich nur nichts nicht daueren" by Johannes Brahms
"Festival Te Deum" by Benjamin Britten
"Richte Mich, Gott" by Felix Mendelsohn
"Like as the hart desireth waterbrooks" by Herbert Howells
"Os Justi meditabitur sapientiam" by Anton Bruckner
"Sing Unto God" by Paul Fetler
"The Lamb" by Ken Neufeld
"Autumn Landscapes - 5. Tuul lonnumaa kohal; 7. Kanarbik" by Veljo Tormis
"Danny Boy" arranged by Roger Wagner
"Sinner Man" arranged by Howard Roberts
"Ezekiel Saw de Wheel" arranged by Moses Hogan
"O Lord God" by Pavel Chesnokov
"Here I am Lord" arranged by Ovid Young

The choir was perfectly balanced with clear, open tones, and always, always on pitch. Very expressive. And Fourth Presbyterian's space had the perfect acoustic qualities for choral performance, as well - to say nothing of the combined visual aesthetic. This performance moved me deeply. Wonderful selections, all! But if I had to choose a favorite, it would definitely be the Veljo Tormis!

Nordic Choir of Luther College 2010-2011
photo thanks to the choir's FB page
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Sunday, January 30, morning
This morning I went to church at LaSalle Street Church, a moderate evangelical church with a social action thrust. I arrived at 10:42 for an 11:00AM service and found the entry, the sanctuary, and the social area still crowded with people from the 9:00 service. Turns out it's a 1.5 hour service, so no wonder.

I made my way to a pew to wait. The people standing around talking were in no hurry to leave. At 11:00 there were only a handful of people in place for the second service, but pretty soon, people started settling in. And continued to arrive for the first half hour of the service, eventually pretty much filling the space! A bit unusual, perhaps, but it seems to work for this church.

There were a guitarist, a pianist, a bass guitarist, and a drummer to lead the music. All in the contemporary praise style, with clapping but without hand waving. At first I was turned off because the 7-person "choir" was completely drowned out by the musicians, but when the choir finished their part, they were seated and the worship leaders used microphones, and the balance was restored. I wonder that no one seemed to notice that the choir was essential inaudible!

The worship leader introduced the service as the first in a series of six leading up to lent when, perhaps in the vein of Mardi Gras, the services will be a little louder than usual and will attempt in the early part of the service at least to incorporate humor and drama. The theme of the series is "second chances." The lesson from the Hebrew Scriptures, which the minister took for the text for her sermon, was acted out rather than simply being read - in a style reminiscent of Monte Python.

For a moment I was on the verge of being mortified, and then "I relaxed into it." It clearly was a crowd pleaser, and there was a heavy presence of young adults here. This was the first in the series, so presumably they weren't coming to church for the comedy skits. But they clearly loved it. And the story, despite the outlandish humor was, in the essentials, faithful to the text. And it was in people's minds enough that it was not necessary to constantly refer back to book-chapter-verse through the sermon.

The Rev. Laura Truax, Senior Pastor, preached for 30 minutes, extemporaneously, without notes, on the story of Naaman in II Kings 5. Her pulpit style is something to watch! She uses widely varied speed in her speech, uses massive expressive gestures. And she knows right where she's taking her congregation.

In her interpretation of the story of Naaman, she concentrated on an aspect I had missed and had never heard expounded before: Naaman's being healed of leprosy, as the story goes, hinged on two instances of listening to the voices of those on the margin. The first was a young, foreign female slave captured from his enemies. The second was his servants. If he had not listened to these voices from the margin, he would not have done what the narrative requires in order for him to be healed. Nice interpretation! Though the sermon's explicit illustrations were interpersonal, this interpretation has major use value in racial, ethnic, and class issues. We can't find healing without taking seriously the voices at the margins.

Very good preaching! And though the service was unusual, it was lively and seemed to work well for the congregation that was present.

LaSalle Street Church
1136 N. LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago

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Sunday, January 30, evening
Mid-afternoon, I walked to St. John Cantius because, planning on going to Compline there in the evening, I wanted to get a picture while it was still light. After taking my pictures, I walked up the steps and entered. In the narthex, I was greeted by a young priest in a black cassock who then informed me that they were locking up right then.

I thought I was going to be asked to leave, but instead, the priest showed me where I could exit when I was ready and continued with locking doors and shutting off lights. The air was filled with the scent of incense as I sat in this Polish-cathedral style building that has been lovingly restored over a couple of decades when it was once expected to close. The huge Baroque reredos dominated, as I sat in the dim winter light, filtered through muted stained glass. I had the entire church to myself, unextinguished votives the only added light.

Later I walked the three miles back for 6:00PM Compline, arriving and being seated with five minutes to spare. The canons regular entered and sat in the front two rows, from where they chanted the liturgy of this final office of the day. I was absolutely stunned. The nine priests and brothers chanted Gregorian Chant in Latin in voices that resonated through the structure, as strong as if a much larger group were chanting. Perfectly in tune. Perfectly timed. I was in heaven. Compline is my favorite office of the Liturgy of the Hours. Only the Psalm and the lesson from Revelation were in English.

At the end of Compline, the priests and brothers processed to an icon of the Virgin where there was a ceremony with professing of vows to admit one of the nine to the order of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius.

Excellence in liturgy is the heart of the apostolate of the Canons Regular. St. John Cantius Church celebrates all the accepted forms of the mass, low mass and high, Tridentine (Latin) and Novus Ordo (in English or in Latin), but the intent is to keep each of these liturgical forms at its highest possible level of execution. Included in the apostolate, this order of priests and brothers prays the Divine Office, as the Liturgy of the Hours is also known, in a sense on behalf of the apparently many priests today who, despite there formal obligation to do so, do not pray the Divine Office regularly.

And it must be the best kept open secret in Chicago. I was the only person other than the nine priests and brothers present tonight for Compline - this beautiful version of the office that chants a calm and prayers for a safe night at the end of day.

St. John Cantius Church
825 N. Carpenter Street, Chicago

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OBSERVATIONS

I didn't want to approach this as a simplistic exercise in "what I learned about doing religion," yet to some extent, I have to reflect on the complex of experiences together as well as one at a time.

• I found that it is possible for a small congregations to exist in a major urban area, despite high real-estate costs. Grace Episcopal, for example, rents space in its non-traditional-ecclesiastical building to subsidize itself while maintaining a small urban congregation.
• I found that, while location is important, that may be trumped by visibility. Central Synagogue of Chicago rents space in Water Tower Place, right at the heart of public life in the city, but because they do not have a street presence, such as a facade or a sign might offer, they do not have access to those people who might learn they are there by walking or driving by. This is not the only way to spread the word to interested parties, but for a congregation that chooses to settle in a location, both visibility and accessibility can play an important role.
• I found that sometimes a congregation's mission makes attendance at the "main event" of lesser importance. Take the Chicago Loop Synagogue, which serves religious Jewish commuters with a place for weekday prayers, a place supplementary to the synagogues where they attend Shabbat services.
• I found that the number of people present is not the deciding factor regarding whether the newcomer is made welcome. Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, with its handful of attendees at Great Vespers, and Chicago Sinai Congregation, at its well-attended Shabbat Eve service, equally ignored my existence.
• I found that young adults, including those without children, are present across the range of religions sampled. However, the church where they were the majority population was one that deemphasized its denominational identity while emphasizing its mission to reach beyond categorical thinking and include people traditionally marginalized in mainstream Christianity.  Music style also helps. Urban Village Church is less than a year old and already has a very good attendance of young adults, at least in part related to their openness to frequently marginalized populations, together with a contemporary praise band. And the church where young adults were a very large if not majority portion was nondenominational with a focus on social justice.
• I found that "bells and smells" still appeals to a broad range of people. At the Church of the Ascension, old-style pomp played to a pretty full church, with people of all ages and sexual orientations.
• I found that a congregation whose mission is aimed at a particular subset of the population may have to re-identify its mission as demographic and social changes take place around it. Congregation Or Chadash, a congregation for LGBT Jews, realizes that more and more people are now fully accepted in their synagogue of origin and never feel the need that earlier generations of LGBT folk did to find or found their own congregations. Or Chadash is not dying, but it is slowly shrinking, according to one board member.
• I found that, even in this very diverse population that is Chicago, these congregations are mostly a racial monoculture. Everyone may be welcome, but not everyone feels at home.
• Part of the dynamic of religious life is growth and shrinkage and mergers and spin-offs and angry splits and church planting and attention and neglect. This ferment and tension is unavoidable because societies change. It is how it is managed that determines success or decline.
• I found that meeting in a warehouse or meeting in a cathedral makes not so much difference to a living congregation.
• I was reminded that, in addition to all the good things that can and must flow from a congregation that has a strong foundation in worship, liturgy well done also has stand-alone value that cannot be measured.

So much is swimming about my mind. I am very grateful for the opportunity to sometimes participate, sometimes observe these twelve congregations at worship. I feel enriched.

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The Choir of King's College, Cambridge

Maurice Duruflé's "Ubi Caritas"
(Watch video on YouTube)

Ubi caritas et amor Deus ibi est
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor
Exsultemus et in ipso jucundemur
Temeamus, et amemus Deum vivum
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero
Ubi caritas et amor Deus ibi est
Amen

Where charity and love are, there God is.

The love of Christ has gathered us into one flock.

Let us exult, and in Him be joyful.

Let us fear and let us love the living God.

And from a sincere heart let us love each other

Votives at St. John Cantius Church
- after the priests locked up for the afternoon -
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